Man admits kicking 15-week-old puppy to death

Marcus Sarre, 24, entered a guilty plea at Craigavon Crown Court to a single count of causing unnecessary suffering to the puppy on April 14.

None of the surrounding facts were opened in court on Tuesday, but when Sarre, who has an address in Lisburn, first appeared in April, a police officer gave evidence that “he has kicked the dog and it’s died, that’s the long and short of it”.

The constable told the court that Sarre had made “full admissions” during interviews to kicking 15-week-old Lilo, a German Shepherd type pup.

The court heard officers were called by neighbours who heard someone “in distress” believing it was a domestic-type incident, but when they arrived, it was Sarre himself who was in a distressed state.

“What he has said is that he had consumed substances, was angry and struck the dog,” defence counsel Damien Halleron told the court at that stage. “He didn’t mean to harm or kill the dog.”

He submitted, however, the incident happened “in circumstances of his mental health” and with a psychiatric assessment to be carried out as soon as possible, Sarre “just snapped ... it’s an unusual, strange and distressing aberration on this man’s record”.

Judge Patrick Lynch has asked probation to compile a pre-sentence report, and Sarre was bailed to be sentenced on November 8.